Half-Fiend

Gao Xian realized that Little Black Cat was nothing but a heartless chowhound; once it finished its meal, it would wag its tail and vanish without a trace.

With no cat to pet, Gao Xian had to settle for petting himself.

He cycled his Five Elements Technique through seventy-two heavenly circuits, then headed to the courtyard to practice his Ice Arrow Art, Flame Bomb, and Flying Feather Art several times over.

He then brought out his Pine-Patterned Longsword to drill the Clear Wind Swordplay twice.

These were lessons Gao Xian performed every single day.

Returning to his room, Gao Xian plastered One Yang Talisman and Three Yang Talisman sheets all over the doors and windows; these were gifts from Zhou Yuling for his protection, and they had to be put to use.

Looking at the rows of talismans on the doors and windows, Gao Xian felt a profound sense of security.

Lying on the bed, Gao Xian brought out the Wind and Moon Mirror to study his personal data.

The data on the front of the Wind and Moon Mirror could not be improved through Humanity Aura. However, these stats could be raised through cultivation.

The best part was that the improved data would never regress or decrease, which was likely where the true power of the Wind and Moon Mirror lay.

Gao Xian: Lifespan 24/66

Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer (31/200)

Five Elements Technique Proficient (175/200)

Fire Control Art Expert (77/400)

Water Control Art Expert (56/400)

Cleansing Art Proficient (15/200)

Flying Feather Art Proficient (121/200)

Clear Wind Swordplay Novice (85/100)

Alchemy Art First Tier Mastery (297/4000)

Qi Recovery Pill Proficient (155/200)

Foundation Strengthening Pill Proficient (161/200)

White Dew Pill Proficient (177/200)

Ice Arrow Art Mastery (224/300)

Flame Bomb Mastery (256/300)

White Plum Needles Mastery (32/300)

The data on the front of the Wind and Moon Mirror proved that his progress over this period had been quite good.

The most important advancement was actually the Five Elements Technique, which was nearing the Mastery level.

The key was having Sister Lan there to condense the Dharma Seal; with her help, circulating the Five Elements Technique became exceptionally easy, and his rate of improvement was incredibly fast.

His progress in various other spells was also quite good, all thanks to the empowerment from Sister Lan.

As for his most critical Qi Refining cultivation, it increased steadily by one point every day; in a few more months, he would be able to break through to the third layer of Qi Refining with certainty.

As far as he knew, this speed of cultivation was far superior to that of the original owner!

Looking at the data on the back of the Wind and Moon Mirror, it was far more impressive than the front.

Great Idol Spirit Method: Heart senses the center, spirit descends from without. High and low connect, the two Qi combine to form a spirit. Endless wondrous uses. (51/5000 Master)

In Gao Xian's view, the Great Idol Spirit Method was undoubtedly the most important technique, and Sister Lan was of immense help to him in every aspect.

He practiced dual cultivation with Sister Lan every day, gaining at least one point daily, and sometimes two or three when the state was right.

It was just that the Great Idol Spirit Method required too many points to upgrade; at this rate, it would take at least ten years to level up.

Lightning Dragon Hand: Extremely fast hand speed when performing fixed, simple motions; hidden power of lightning within the hands, capable of bringing intense, wonderful sensations to the object of contact. (78/400 Expert)

This spell was also very useful, improving just by petting cats or people every day. It was especially effective when providing full-body massages to beautiful women.

Soul-Bewildering Powder: Fine as dust, the fragrance barely perceptible. Those affected suffer from chaotic souls and confused minds, their bodies turning soft and weak. (Master 1/50)

Soul-Bewildering Powder was useful, but not particularly so. If he wasn't careful, he would end up poisoning himself, so Gao Xian had no interest in upgrading it further.

Deer Antler Powder: A spiritual medicine for strengthening Yang, fortifying the kidneys, and consolidating the foundation. (Grandmaster 33/100).

Gao Xian was most satisfied with the Deer Antler Powder; he invested very little Humanity Aura into it, yet the effects were excellent, helping him earn big money and even more Humanity Aura.

True Yang Spear: Condensing divine sense with Yang energy to forge an invisible spear, capable of suppressing souls and shattering evil spirits (2/80 Expert).

Having learned this spell from Zhou Ye, Gao Xian wasn't entirely sure how effective it truly was against evil spirits.

He had originally thought that with the True Yang Spear, he had purged all the evil energy.

However, seeing how guarded Little Black Cat was toward him, Gao Xian felt something was off.

In the past, although Little Black Cat was indifferent to him, it wouldn't have been so resistant to his proximity.

Gao Xian's gaze fell upon the True Yang Spear; purging evil spirits still relied on this spell.

He sighed, "I really need to earn more Humanity Aura!"

Cultivating and leveling up on his own was too slow, and adding points with Humanity Aura was just too satisfying. It would be one thing if there were no comparison, but now that he knew the difference, he couldn't go back.

Fortunately, having established a connection with Zhou Ye, he was able to sell Deer Antler Powder through him, and soon a large amount of Humanity Aura was credited to his account.

Gao Xian checked the time and saw it wasn't too late yet. He considered refining a batch of Deer Antler Powder, but he was simply too lazy to move.

"Forget it, I'll rest well today to recover my spirit, and start grinding again tomorrow..."

Gao Xian touched the Six Yang Talisman on his chest. With such a powerful talisman gifted by a beauty, he could sleep soundly without worry.

Closing his eyes, Gao Xian went to meet Sister Lan in his dreams...

When he opened his eyes again, Gao Xian saw the faint white light outside the window; it must have been past five in the morning.

He yawned, wondering if he should sleep a little longer, but as his gaze shifted, he saw that the One Yang Talisman sheets pasted on the door had been incinerated, with fine black ash drifting onto the floor.

Gao Xian, still groggy, felt his heart tighten. The hair on his body stood on end, and that lingering sleepiness was swept away by a chilling fear.

Gao Xian rolled off the bed and went to the door to examine it closely.

He had pasted seven One Yang Talisman sheets on the door, and five had already been incinerated. The remaining two were also half-burned.

Without a doubt, an evil spirit had come last night, only to be repelled by the power of the One Yang Talisman on the door.

Thinking of the evil spirit visiting in the middle of the night while he remained completely unaware, Gao Xian felt cold sweat on his palms.

"Damn it, damn it! We have no grudges, why are you targeting me!"

Gao Xian cursed under his breath. He was both terrified and confused, unable to understand why an evil spirit would set its sights on him.

Fortunately, the evil spirit didn't seem very powerful, as the One Yang Talisman had held it off.

Zhou Yuling had given him dozens of One Yang Talisman and Three Yang Talisman sheets, which would last him a few more days.

Relying on the friendly sponsorship of talismans from a beauty was not a long-term solution. He had to rely on himself. He must upgrade his True Yang Spear as soon as possible!

Gao Xian paced around the room a few times and made up his mind: he could no longer lie around; he had to get to work.

He went to the kitchen to light a fire and cook. After eating a full meal, he left half a bowl of rice for the heartless little black cat.

The little black cat was ungrateful, but he was a man of loyalty and affection!

Taking advantage of the abundant spiritual energy in his body, Gao Xian circulated the Five Elements Technique for one hundred and eight cycles. By the time he emerged from his meditation, his mind and body were in peak condition.

Seizing the moment, Gao Xian went to the alchemy room, lit the furnace, and took out the various medicinal herbs for the Deer Antler Powder to wash, steam, refine, and extract.

Most of the herbs required secondary processing. This was work only Gao Xian could do himself.

After working for the better part of the day, the Deer Antler Powder was finished, yielding five catties this time.

Gao Xian rolled the pills by hand, obtaining five hundred and seventeen pills.

After packing up five hundred little blue pills, Gao Xian took the box of Deer Antler Powder to the Spirit Talisman Hall.

Gao Xian used the back door this time. The old maid in the courtyard recognized him and led him into the main living room.

Zhou Yuling waved at him from afar but didn't come over to talk.

Gao Xian waited in the living room for quite a while before Zhou Ye arrived. Gao Xian greeted him eagerly, "Uncle Zhou, I've brought the medicine. Five hundred pills."

Zhou Ye opened the wooden box and glanced at the rows of neat little blue pills, which put him in a great mood.

According to his agreement with Gao Xian, the previous batches of Deer Antler Powder were sold to him at the price of one Low-grade Spirit Stone for twenty pills.

In Gao Xian's words, they needed to distribute them for free during the initial promotion phase, and the promotional costs would be split between the two of them.

Once the sales channel for the Deer Antler Powder opened up, the price would return to one Low-grade Spirit Stone for ten pills. He could then double the price for external sales.

Because he didn't need to put up any capital, he could return the unsold Deer Antler Powder to Gao Xian. The risk was entirely borne by Gao Xian.

Although he had to help purchase and replenish the consumed herbs, the money came from Gao Xian.

Zhou Ye was very satisfied with this method of cooperation. Furthermore, he was very optimistic about the prospects of the Deer Antler Powder.

Taking advantage of Zhou Ye's good mood, Gao Xian hurriedly told him about encountering the evil spirit again.

"Uncle Zhou, what should I do?"

Gao Xian asked for advice, "There's an evil spirit watching me all day, I'm so scared."

Zhou Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Normally, low-level evil spirits lack intelligence and wouldn't specifically target one person. If this evil spirit keeps watching you, it might have some connection to you."

He asked with a smile, "Have you ever killed anyone? Perhaps the other party's lingering resentment turned into an evil spirit and is now seeking revenge."

"Ah! Is that true, Uncle Zhou? Don't scare me." Gao Xian was shocked; he really didn't know such things could happen.

Zhou Ye was just joking; he didn't think Gao Xian had the guts to kill anyone. Seeing the way Gao Xian's face changed, he was slightly surprised—could this kid really have killed someone?!

"If it's an evil spirit with a grudge, it's quite normal for it to haunt you."

Zhou Ye suggested, "Why don't you buy more Three Yang Talisman sheets? This item is the best at suppressing evil spirits."

"Uh, then let me take twenty One Yang Talisman sheets first."

Gao Xian still had some on hand, but it was better to be safe than sorry; taking more was always good.

"Twenty One Yang Talisman sheets, Uncle Zhou will give them to you."

Zhou Ye was generous for once. The One Yang Talisman sheets weren't worth much, and for the sake of their partnership, he was willing to help Gao Xian out.

Gao Xian returned home and pasted over a dozen One Yang Talisman sheets on his doors and windows before he finally felt at ease enough to sleep.

Over the next few days, the One Yang Talisman on the doors and windows remained undisturbed; the evil spirit seemed to have stopped coming.

Gao Xian's heart slowly settled, as it appeared the evil spirit had been intimidated.

He was just waiting for Zhou Ye to open up the sales channels for the Deer Antler Powder so he could upgrade the True Yang Spear and deal with this evil spirit once and for all.

Gao Xian was practicing his swordsmanship in the courtyard that day when Zhu Qiniang arrived.

"Recently, an evil spirit has been wandering around Flying Horse Market, harming people. It has already killed two cultivators. It is said that the evil spirit only has half a head, which is truly terrifying..."

Before Zhu Qiniang could finish, Gao Xian's expression had already changed.